Eagle Rock Issues Little Feat Live in Holland 1976 - CD/DVD

Influential cult favorite Little Feat performed at Holland’s PinkPop Festival on June 7, 1976. Thirty-eight years later, Eagle Rock Entertainment has made a whole lot of Little Feat fans happy with a two-disc archival release of this performance. Their 11-tune set is presented on CD, accompanied by a 53-minute DVD that allows us to watch the band perform nine of those songs.

The jam band was in blistering form that June day, as the rough-and-ready live mix attests. The lineup at this point in time included Paul Barrere (guitar, vocals), Sam Clayton (percussion), the late Lowell George (guitar, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), the late Richie Hayward (drums, vocals), and Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals). This is some of the funkiest, bluesiest Southern rock of its era. A mostly relaxed groove sets in for a slow-build rendition of “Dixie Chicken.” Searing guitar solos decorate an impassioned “Rock and Roll Doctor.” Most definitely a treasure chest for fans of the band.

The DVD offers viewers the choice between Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 surround, which is quite generous considering Eagle Rock could’ve stopped at the also-included stereo track and most fans would’ve been happy. The sunny, daytime concert isn’t much to look at in terms of video quality (it was 1976, after all) but this was thankfully before the trend of hyperactive editing took hold. We really get a far better sense of watching the band interact and respond to each other for the better part of an hour than the huge audience does. The musicians are perched above the sea of audience members on a startlingly high riser. It may be fuzzy, washed-out video footage but it’s far from an eyesore. Plus it sounds terrific, which is ultimately what really counts.